Disbarred Cherry Hill attorney charged with misrepresenting himself as a practicing lawyer

CHERRY HILL TWP. — A disbarred attorney has been charged with misrepresenting himself as a practicing lawyer and stealing from a client with money he was supposed to use to pay her injured child’s medical bills, Camden County Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk said Thursday.

Stephen M. Hiltebrand, 61, of Cherry Hill, is charged with two counts of unauthorized practice of law and a count of theft by failure to make required disposition of property received. He turned himself in at the Cherry Hill Police Department and was released on a summons.

Hiltebrand — who was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1978 voluntarily agreed to be disbarred by the Office of Attorney Ethics in June 2011 after being accused of mishandling multiple clients’ funds. By voluntarily agreeing to disbarment Hiltebrand forfeited the right to practice law, or to present himself as a practicing attorney, in New Jersey, a spokesman for Faulk said.

The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office received information from a couple that Hiltebrand had continued to represent them in their personal injury suit after his disbarment. The office received a similar but unrelated allegation from a private company that had received correspondence from Hiltebrand in which he presented himself as an attorney representing the company’s opponent in a civil case. In both cases, signed documents were obtained through the investigation that represented Hiltebrand as an attorney at law in New Jersey, spokesman Jason Laughlin said.

One of the incidents that led to Hiltebrand’s disbarment also resulted in the theft charge. One of his former clients reported in March Hiltebrand withheld more than $4,000 in settlement funds from a personal injury suit stemming from injuries the client’s child sustained in a car accident. She reported Hiltebrand acted as fiduciary for her and supplied her with false documents which he claimed proved he was paying her child’s medical expenses, including checks he allegedly sent to medical creditors to pay for her child’s treatment, Laughlin said. Hiltebrand had not paid the medical bills. Investigation revealed he had not adequately accounted for his client’s funds, according to the spokesman.

Hiltebrand was reprimanded in 2002 by the state Supreme Court for “grossly” neglecting a “litigated matter leading to a default order.” A $792,000 judgment was entered against his client, “which fact he also failed to disclose to them,” according to Supreme Court records.

An investigation is ongoing into Hiltebrand, Laughlin said. Those who have questions about their interactions with him are asked to contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Investigator Robin Morante at 856-225-8480.